Deputy & Prosecutor Involved In Deadly Shooting At Mountain Home

HOT SULPHUR SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4) – A deputy with Grand County and an assistant district attorney in the Fourteenth Judicial District are on administrative leave after a deadly shooting at a home in Hot Sulphur Springs.

The prosecutor, Heather Stein, called 911 shortly before midnight Monday reporting a stranger at her front door behaving erratically and causing a disturbance.

Investigators say the intruder pushed his way into the home, located in the building that formerly was the Riverside Hotel in the 500 block of Grand Avenue. That’s when the intruder had a violent altercation with Stein’s husband John, the Grand County Sheriff’s deputy.

“This was a very aggressive altercation. This gentleman was acting very erratically and that was observed by others,” said Pam Russell, incident spokeswoman.

Investigators believe shots were fired during that fight outside the couple’s residence, leaving the intruder dead. Both the prosecutor and the deputy had guns.

Both the prosecutor and deputy suffered minor injuries during the altercation.

The intruder has been identified as 31-year-old Joshua Lee Stevens. Neighbors told CBS4 Stevens had been staying at a friends apartment for the past week while dealing with marital issues back in Michigan.

Investigators say they are no apparent ties between the incident in Hot Sulphur Springs and other recent shootings but they are pursuing all possible leads and background information on the dead man.

Because the incident involves local law enforcement officials, the Fourteenth Judicial DA Brett Barkey asked the Colorado Bureau of Investigations and the First Judicial DA’s Office to help with the investigation.

The First Judicial District encompasses Jefferson and Gilpin Counties.

The Critical Incident Team for Moffat, Grand and Routt counties is also assisting.